7 All-Natural Foods That Can Totally Mess Your Body Up

Here are some foods that are totally healthy in moderation, but can be disastrous when you overindulge. Yep, you can overindulge in healthy foods.

Kale

It’s a magical plant of health that everyone and their mother should be eating. And if you’re only living on kale, your only mistake is that you’re not eating more kale.

Not so fast. Too much kale can actually be dangerous. Kale can reportedly seriously mess up your thyroid. It has a compound in it called thiocyanate that, in high amounts, severely interferes with iodine metabolism, which can, in turn, result in hypothyroidism.

The alleged standard serving size for 50 calories? It’s one-fifth of an avocado. Who puts one-fifth of an avocado on their taco salad? If you put that entire 250 calorie avocado on your well-balanced kale salad and say, “oh, it’s healthy fat,” you’re completely done for the day.

Salmon

Alternative health and conventional health practitioners alike love this fish, and why wouldn’t they? Rich in omega-3s, selenium, B12 and protein, it’s been referred to as one of the world’s healthiest foods.

But be careful. Salmon contains mercury, a neurotoxin. Too much of it can cause mercury poisoning and major neurological damage. Pregnant women are especially advised to limit their consumption of fish due to the presence of mercury.

Quinoa

Quinoa is one of those superfoods that everyone is eating. It’s gluten-free, vegan, a complete source of protein, meaning it supplies all nine essential amino acids that your body needs for growth. It also doesn’t taste as good as rice so it must be good for you. BUT…..

Some research suggests that saponins, a naturally occurring chemical in quinoa, cause stomach discomfort and damage your stomach lining.

Goji Berries

Gram-per-gram, they have the same number of calories and almost the exact same number of grams of sugar as a Starburst candy piece. Of course, they’re not nutritionally the same given the goji berry’s wealth of vitamins, but if you’re watching your weight or if you’re diabetic? Your pancreas will view these as candy.

Chia Seeds

They’re so healthy that you’re probably dying right now simply because you’re not eating them. They’re touted as an ancient superfood, rich in antioxidants, protein, fiber, and omega-3s. They should be added to your salad or even your raw organic kombucha.

But they have potential to cause severe gastrointestinal side effects. That cute thing chia seeds do in almond milk when they puff up? They do that in your body too, and the side effects can be painful.

Almond Milk

Milk made from almonds must be better for you — it’s VEGAN and gluten-free and lactose-free and celebrities absolutely live for it!

If you’re getting liquid from a plant, it’s technically juice, not milk. In fact, they’re mostly water, sugar and additives, like emulsifiers, which make the whole glass of super-cool nut juice much lower in protein than cow’s milk or unsweetened soy milk. Plus, sweetened versions are packing up to 8g of sugar — two teaspoons, which is purely just added sugar, since almonds don’t have naturally-occurring sugar (lactose) the way that dairy products do.